Open Data Program

Open data for disaster response

DigitalGlobe is committed to providing accurate, high-resolution satellite imagery and information to support response and recovery in the wake of large-scale natural disasters.

We release open imagery for select sudden onset major crisis events, including pre-event imagery, post-event imagery and a crowdsourced damage assessment.

When crises occur, DigitalGlobe is committed to supporting the humanitarian community by providing critical and actionable information to assist response efforts. Associated imagery and crowdsourcing layers are released into the public domain under a Creative Commons 4.0 license, allowing for rapid use and easy integration with existing humanitarian response technologies.

Read more about our open data event activation protocol here.

Cyclone Idai

Cyclone Idai first made landfall in Mozambique on Thursday, March 14, 2019, affecting thousands of people across the country and neighboring Malawi. The Ngangu Township in Chimanimani and the Rusitu Valley communities were the hardest hit. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated that the impact is yet to be established, however reports indicate loss of life and significant damage, with extreme flooding causing loss of roads, homes and infrastructure. Officials estimate the severe flooding will impact 1.5 million people in Mozambique and Malawi, with more than 150 people reportedly killed and hundreds more missing.

Program Partners

"This initiative underlines the trusted partnership between UNOOSA and DigitalGlobe in the
area of geospatial information and analytics as the rapid availability of data is essential for
a successful response to such a devastating event like the earthquake in Ecuador"